Chapter 1
In the year 1024 of the new calendar, in country A, at the transition from spring to summer.
Shen Yuzhe achieved outstanding results in an IQ test and was admitted to the prestigious national university in advance.
Not long ago, the school had organized a trip for him and several other pre-admitted students to visit the future campus and living environment in the imperial city – state-of-the-art laboratories, spacious and bright libraries, and even well-furnished single dorm rooms for each student… Everything was in perfect condition, surpassing Shen Yuzhe’s imagination.
During the short two-day visit, he also got to know another incoming freshman named He Minghao, who had also been admitted to the biology department. The two instantly clicked, agreeing to meet up in the imperial city three months later.
Returning to school, Shen Yuzhe was surrounded by classmates who were eager to gossip and offer their congratulations. He started packing his things, getting ready to leave the campus. Since he was already pre-admitted, he didn’t need to participate in the selection exams and wouldn’t have to attend classes anymore.
“Hey, Shen Yuzhe!” As he was about to leave the school gate, he was suddenly stopped by his desk mate. The person came up and said, “Did you hear? Your older brother beat up Wang Chaolin from Overseas International School!”
Shen Yuzhe furrowed his brows slightly, “When did this happen?” He hadn’t been in touch with his brother since returning from the imperial city.
“Just the day before yesterday! I heard about it last night while playing basketball with a friend from my neighborhood. He also attends Overseas International School. He said your brother had a conflict with Wang Chaolin in Zone C the day before yesterday. They exchanged words and then started fighting. Your brother beat Wang Chaolin until he was covered in blood!” The desk mate made a bunch of excited expressions, as if he wished he could have been there to witness it.
Shen Yuzhe knew of this Wang Chaolin. Overseas International School was different from their school; it was a private institution with many children of high-ranking officials and wealthy families. Wang Chaolin was one of the bullies in that school, which showed that he came from a powerful background. If Shen Yuzhe were to encounter someone like that, he would avoid conflict at all costs, as those kinds of people were not to be trifled with by someone like him from a commoner background.
Seeing Shen Yuzhe’s brows furrowing deeply, his desk mate also felt a bit embarrassed. He finally managed to blurt out the most important part of the gossip: “They say Wang Chaolin threatened to make your brother disappear from this world…”
Shen Yuzhe widened his eyes and a bad premonition formed in his heart.
“While I think your brother is pretty badass for daring to fight Wang Chaolin,” his desk mate continued while raising his fist and gesturing a punch, “I’m still worried. After all, no one knows what kind of tricks Wang Chaolin might have up his sleeve! Hey? Where are you going, Shen Yuzhe? Hey!”
He scratched his head and watched as Shen Yuzhe walked away in a hurry. He sighed, muttering to himself, “They’re twins, they look exactly the same, one’s a super academic genius, and the other dropped out early and went into society… Did Shen Yuzhe’s brother undergo some kind of genetic mutation?”
Gasping for breath, Shen Yuzhe ran back home, carrying a stack of books. The lights were on in the house, and when he pushed open the door, the aroma of cooking wafted from the direction of the kitchen. With the sizzling sounds of stir-frying, Shen Jiyun, as if sensing his arrival, poked his head out from the kitchen, “Back already?”
Shen Yuzhe stared at him expressionlessly, from head to toe, scrutinizing him carefully.
Thankfully, there was nothing missing – no missing limbs or anything. There were just some bruises on his cheek and a bit of color on his face, but that was a common sight on his brother’s face.
A heavy stone in his heart finally dropped.
On the other hand, his brother, feeling his cold gaze, began to feel uncomfortable all over, and he waved the spatula at him, “What are you looking at?”
Shen Yuzhe put down the books and calmly called out his brother’s name, “Shen Jiyun.”
Shen Jiyun paused for a moment, then realized, “Why are you calling me by my full name? Are you crazy?” After speaking, he grabbed the spatula and turned back to the kitchen. With a rough voice, he said, “Go wash your hands. Dinner’s ready.”
After washing his hands, Shen Yuzhe’s brother had already brought the dishes out.
Just three dishes and a soup, nothing too fancy, but the moments they shared every night while having dinner together were the warmest in Shen Yuzhe’s eyes.
“Why so many books?” Shen Jiyun glanced at the pile of books that Shen Yuzhe had casually placed on the table.
“Brought them back from school. I won’t need to go to school from tomorrow onwards,” Shen Yuzhe said.
Shen Jiyun casually flipped through them, seeing a bunch of chemical symbols that looked like hieroglyphs to him, “Impressive. So, you’re going to be a high-achieving student at the national university?”
“In three months,” Shen Yuzhe responded.
“What’s the difference? The future high-achieving student?” Shen Jiyun grinned, looking even happier than the person directly involved.
“If you’re willing to study, you could go too,” Shen Yuzhe glanced at him.
Shen Jiyun shrugged, “I’m not cut out for that. Let you handle the studying stuff.”
Shen Yuzhe remembered that his brother used to have better grades than him, but ever since their parents passed away, Shen Jiyun seemed like a completely different person. His grades plummeted, and he started skipping classes to hang out with various friends in society. With the increasing frequency of skipping classes, he eventually dropped out of school. When he wasn’t lazing around at home on the internet, he was wandering around outside.
In response to Shen Yuzhe’s repeated questions, Shen Jiyun had explained that he used to work hard to become the person his parents wanted him to be. But now that they were gone, he just wanted to be himself.
However, his brother’s version of “being himself” meant not studying and just living aimlessly? Being a shut-in at home or surfing the internet?
Shen Yuzhe didn’t understand.
He couldn’t help but ask, “I heard you fought with Wang Chaolin from Overseas International School.”
Shen Jiyun chuckled, “Word travels fast, huh?”
Shen Yuzhe asked, “Why did you fight him?”
Being pressed by his younger brother like this made Shen Jiyun a bit uncomfortable. “It’s my business, you don’t need to worry about it.”
With that statement, Shen Yuzhe, who was usually calm and composed, suddenly slammed his chopsticks onto the table with a loud “clap” and raised his voice, “What are you thinking? Do you even know who Wang Chaolin is? He’s killed people before! Even if you’re going through a rebellious phase, isn’t it enough now? Mom and Dad are gone; who are you rebelling against?”
Shen Jiyun’s temper flared up immediately, and he narrowed his eyes, saying, “Do you think you’re all that just because you got into the national university? You’re going to lecture me? Let me tell you, Shen Yuzhe, even if you win a Nobel Prize, I’m still your big brother! Ever heard of ‘an elder brother is like a father’? Mom and Dad are gone, but I’m still like your father!”
Shen Yuzhe’s neck veins were pulsating with anger. The two locked eyes in a heated stare for a few seconds before Shen Yuzhe was the first to look away.
Rather than saying he looked away, it was more accurate to say that Shen Yuzhe was more mature and composed than his brother.
He suppressed his emotions and picked up his chopsticks again, saying in a cold tone, “I was born only half a minute later than you.”
Shen Jiyun was taken aback by his words and then burst into laughter, “Blame me, huh? Blame Mom for that.”
The tense atmosphere relaxed somewhat.
Shen Yuzhe picked at the scrambled eggs with a critical eye and said, “Too salty.”
Shen Jiyun responded, “Eat it or leave it.”
Shen Yuzhe: “…”
After finishing the last sip of soup, Shen Jiyun cleaned up the bowls and utensils, and before leaving the table, he said, “Take care of yourself and don’t worry about me. I know what I’m doing.”
Watching his brother’s retreating back as he walked toward the kitchen, Shen Yuzhe still felt worried and furrowed his brows, reminding, “You should stay at home and not go out these days.”
Shen Jiyun’s footsteps paused for a moment, and he softly muttered, “Okay.”
In the following days, his brother obediently stayed at home and didn’t go out.
Shen Yuzhe planned to search the internet for materials related to his future major, but he found that he couldn’t access certain information from his student ID at the Imperial University, which required registration and activation after three months. He couldn’t download the internal materials of the university.
Seeing him puzzled, his brother asked a few questions. Shen Yuzhe casually answered, not expecting much help from him. However, to his surprise, several compressed files were sent to his email from his brother’s account that evening.
Sharing the same room, Shen Yuzhe turned his head incredulously and looked at his brother, “How did you get these?”
Shen Jiyun smirked mischievously, “I have my ways.”
Shen Yuzhe was suspicious, and while his brother was distracted, he sneaked over to take a look. He saw his brother skillfully typing on the keyboard, entering lines of code. The computer screen displayed unfamiliar windows and webpages. The only part he could understand on one webpage was phrases like “Mini Human Trafficking” and “Weapons and Firearms.” Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked, “What’s this?”
The sudden sound startled Shen Jiyun, almost causing him to jump out of his chair. He quickly closed several windows in a thunderous manner.
Shen Yuzhe had only managed to catch a glimpse of the last webpage that was closed, which seemed like a forum. He noticed his brother’s username, JY0707.
In the past, Shen Yuzhe had thought that his brother was just playing games on the computer. Discovering his technical skills was unexpected: “How come I didn’t know you were into these things?”
Shen Jiyun snorted lightly, “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”
Shen Yuzhe asked, “What webpage were you just on? Do you have the URL?”
Shen Jiyun replied, “Even if I gave you the URL, you wouldn’t be able to access it. It’s the Dark Web.”
Shen Yuzhe questioned, “What’s the Dark Web?”
Impatiently waving his hand, Shen Jiyun replied, “Knowing all this won’t benefit you in any way. Focus on your biology studies.”
Everyone has their secrets, and Shen Yuzhe wasn’t bothered. After all, he didn’t have much interest in those things.
“Never mind…” Shen Yuzhe rubbed his chin, looking meaningful as he said, “But knowing that you’re not idle puts my mind at ease.”
Shen Jiyun laughed and cursed, “You idiot.”
Shen Yuzhe returned to his spot, looked through some materials for a while, and then worriedly asked, “I have a feeling Wang Chaolin won’t let things go easily. What if he comes after you?”
Shen Jiyun jokingly said, “Then you call the police.”
Shen Yuzhe retorted, “Do you trust the police?”
The two brothers paused, exchanged a bitter smile, and said simultaneously, “Heh heh.”
Last year, a troublemaker had harassed Wang Chaolin’s girlfriend off-campus and had his arm chopped off in response, narrowly escaping death.
It was rumored that the troublemaker had actually died afterward because no one had seen him again.
This incident didn’t make it to the news and didn’t cause much commotion in society. It was merely spread through whispers and rumors among a few individuals who were knowledgeable about the situation both on and off-campus.
Shen Yuzhe wasn’t sure how much of this story was exaggerated. Perhaps most sixteen or seventeen-year-olds treated it as a fictional tale, maintaining a rosy view of the world, believing in equality for all and world peace. However, this idealism didn’t extend to him and Shen Jiyun.
Since their parents’ accidental death in a car crash three years ago, when they hadn’t received any investigation results other than a government compensation, Shen Yuzhe knew that there was no absolute justice or fairness in this world.
Sometimes, when fate comes knocking on your door, you just have to accept it.