Read Novel Full Chapter 1306: I WON'T LET IT
Chapter 1306: I WON'T LET IT
ONCE Luo Yan was done explaining, the room went quiet for a few seconds. Luo Ren rubbed his temples like a headache was forming. Luo Jin leaned back against the couch, arms crossed, his jaw tight. Bai Ze just shook his head slowly.
"So that happened a month ago," Luo Ren finally said. "And nothing's come of it since?"
Shen Ji Yun shook his head. "Nothing. No one has approached my uncle about it. No calls, no visits. It's like it never happened."
Luo Jin's frown deepened as he processed everything. On one hand, he was relieved that this cousin had apparently kept his mouth shut. A month of silence was a good sign. But the worry still gnawed at him.
"He might not have said anything yet," he said, his voice thoughtful but edged with concern. "But that doesn't mean he never will. What if he's just waiting? Picking his moment carefully? What happens then? What's your plan if he decides to drop this on your family when you least expect it?"
Shen Ji Yun shrugged. "Honestly? I don't really care. Besides my uncle and my grandmother, the rest of the Shen family doesn't like me, anyway. They never have. So whether or not they find out I'm gay changes nothing. They already treat me like I don't belong. Finding out I'm gay wouldn't make them treat me any worse."
Luo Jin's eyes widened slightly. He couldn't quite follow Shen Ji Yun's logic. Surely his family couldn't be that bad? Or could they? He just couldn't wrap his head around the idea of family members hating each other. For him, family meant love. Support. Understanding. Even during those years when he had been difficult, picking fights here and there, his family never stopped loving him. They had always been there. The thought of growing up in a home where that wasn't true, where blood relatives looked at you with coldness instead of warmth, unsettled him.
At that thought, he suddenly felt a little naïve. He knew, logically, that not all families were the same. It was basic common sense. So Shen Ji Yun's words shouldn't have caught him off guard. But they did. Probably because Shen Ji Yun wasn't just some random person to him anymore.
"I can attest to that," Bai Ze said, nodding at Shen Ji Yun's words. "Most of the Shen family doesn't pass the vibe check. Especially those cousins from the collateral branch. They're assholes, every single one of them. And not just regular assholes—they're assholes with absolutely no brains. Shen Xin's still an asshole, don't get me wrong. But he's a level lower than those guys. Mainly because he thinks he's above them. Still, we can't really know for sure if he'll keep what he saw to himself or end up running his mouth."
Luo Ren raised an eyebrow, a flicker of apprehension crossing his face. He looked at Shen Ji Yun with a kind of newfound understanding. Unlike Luo Jin, he actually knew a little more about the Shen family. They were a well-known political family, active in that world for decades now. The current patriarch was retired, but his eldest son held office. And the eldest grandson was being groomed to follow the same path. That was about all he knew, though. Just the surface facts. Nothing about how they actually were behind closed doors.
But hearing what Shen Ji Yun said, along with Bai Ze's commentary, Luo Ren could piece together the kind of dynamic the Shen family had. Especially how they treated Shen Ji Yun. He thought about the fact that Shen Ji Yun was mixed. That was the only reason he could come up with for why they would treat him badly.
He shook his head. What an outdated way of thinking. It was the twenty-first century. Who still held onto ideas like that? Being a purist in this day and age was definitely a choice. It wasn't like the Shen family were royalty or something.
Luo Ren glanced at Shen Ji Yun. The guy's face stayed mostly expressionless. But there was an obvious difference whenever he looked at Luo Yan. His eyes warmed. His mouth curved just slightly. It was subtle, but noticeable. Hmm. This guy clearly cared about Luo Yan a lot. Maybe his family situation made him appreciate what he had with Luo Yan even more. That worked in Luo Yan's favor. There would be less chance of him getting hurt. And that was all Luo Ren really cared about.
"What matters right now is whether any of this will affect Yan Yan," Luo Ren said. He fixed his gaze on Shen Ji Yun. "Will it?"
Shen Ji Yun held his gaze steadily. "I won't let it."
Luo Ren studied Shen Ji Yun's expression for a moment. Whatever he saw there seemed to satisfy him. He gave a curt nod. "Good."
"Wait—there's no need for all this sudden seriousness," Luo Yan cut in. "That Shen Xin guy doesn't even know who I am. So even if he runs to the whole Shen family and tells them everything, I won't really be affected." He turned to Shen Ji Yun and reached up, pinching his cheek lightly. "It's you who would actually have to deal with it. What do you mean 'I won't let it'? You should worry about yourself first."
Shen Ji Yun blinked, then let out a low chuckle. He leaned into Luo Yan's palm, resting his cheek against it. "Protecting you is more important."
Luo Yan let out a laugh, part disbelief and part helplessness. He pinched Shen Ji Yun's cheek a little harder. "You..."
Luo Jin rolled his eyes at the scene playing out in front of him. "Can you two maybe not be so affectionate right in front of us?"
Hearing the disgust in his brother's voice when he said 'affectionate', Luo Yan grinned. He wrapped his arms around Shen Ji Yun's waist and stuck his tongue out at Luo Jin. "Single people with confusing relationship statuses don't get to complain."