Chapter 13: Family

It was Christmas day and Shen Ru was sitting in the living room while his parents were chatting about something that he couldn't really care less about that. Thankfully, this year, their family didn't celebrate the holiday with the extended Shen family. Otherwise, it would be one of the most awkward moments in his life, only second to that one time he mistook a stranger for his friend.

Although he definitely has grown familiar with Gu Haoyu and Jia Hao, the same can't be said for his parents. There were just many reasons behind this. First, he didn't think of them as good parents. They practically spoiled Shen Ru to bits and didn't pay attention to him much that they didn't realize that he was already on his path to becoming a delinquent who beat up nerds and skipped classes. This was also Shen Ru's fault, of course, but his parents still had some part in it.

Second, he had perfectly good and normal parents in his first life. They were kind and spoiled him without making him a good-for-nothing. When they found out about his insecurities and anxiety, they immediately went with him to the psychiatrist. They were the best parents he could ever ask for. He didn't think that he'll be able to replace his real parents even after transmigrating to so many worlds. It would be like a disrespect to his real parents.

Suddenly, a notification rang from his phone, breaking him out of his thoughts. He opened his phone and discovered that Gu Haoyu had sent a message to him.

Humble Official Gu: Boss Shen

Humble Official Gu: My parents are inside my apartment

In an instant, there was a deep frown on Shen Ru's face. He hastily grabbed his jacket and said to his parents, "Father, Mother, I have somewhere to go."

Mother Shen was concerned. "Where are you going to, Xiao Ru?"

"Something happened to Gu Haoyu, I'll call if it gets serious."

Without speaking further, Shen Ru opened the door and ran outside. Father and Mother Shen exchanged a look and sighed together.

While the taxi was on its way to Gu Haoyu's apartment, Shen Ru began typing on his phone.

Boss Shen: I'm coming

Boss Shen: Did you tell Jia Hao too?

Humble Official Gu: Yes

Shen Ru was expecting more messages but Gu Haoyu never replied to him even after almost five minutes. He bit his lip. This was the second time that he felt a real crisis after entering this world. What was happening to Gu Haoyu now? Were his parents going to hurt him? Faced with his thoughts, he shook his head to free himself of these thoughts.

When the taxi finally stopped in front of Gu Haoyu, Shen Ru was filled with relief. After paying the taxi driver, he ran to the gates of the apartment. It was already wide open, with men in work uniforms dragging furniture into a truck parked near the area.

Shen Ru's relieved face dropped into a frown at this sight. At the doorstep, Gu Haoyu was arguing loudly with two elderly people, presumably his parents. Jia Hao was beside Gu Haoyu, glaring daggers at the old couple. Because of the noise, the neighbors were already eavesdropping on their conversation.

"I paid them with my own money, how dare you take them!"

"You brat, how could you earn money with your qualifications? It's obvious that you stole our money!"

"Laozi raised you for 18 years and you do this to us?! You need a beating!"

Shen Ru rolled his eyes and approached them. "First of all, Gu Haoyu isn't 18 yet. He's 17. Have you already forgotten your son's age?"

When Gu Haoyu saw him, his eyes sparkled. "Boss Shen!"

"Boss Shen, you have to see how shameless they are! Accusing their own son of stealing, they're not real parents!" Jia Hao said.

Father Gu was speechless at first after realizing his mistake. However, after hearing Gu Haoyu's exclaim, he said, "Ha, this is the legendary 'Boss Shen' that our fake son keeps talking about? You brat, you're just a good-for-nothing second generation so don't get into our family affairs."

"Robbery is considered family affairs? Well then, I'll invite the police into your family affairs. Shouldn't they have the power to?" Shen Ru sneered and pulled out his phone from his pocket as if he was going to contact the police.

At first, he thought that they would back down with the implication that the police would get involved. Against all odds, they were particularly arrogant. "Then call the police!"

Shen Ru frowned and glanced at Gu Haoyu questioningly. Gu Haoyu whispered, "My uncle is the chief police officer in our area."

Seeing his crumbling expression, Father Gu continued boasting, "What 'calling the police'? In the end, you're just a good-for-nothing coward!"

"Oh, I'm a good-for-nothing coward?" Shen Ru smirked. "Then, I'm calling the police."

After sending a text to Jun Zixin, he proceeded to call the police. While he did this, the old couple had mocking eyes and even hastened the workers to do their jobs quicker.

Who knew that the police didn't arrive first, but a pink Lamborghini? Yu Ming led the group of delinquents, her lackeys following behind him. Shen Ru almost laughed out loud at the image of these big and built men coming out of a pink car.

"Who are you, people? Are you robbers? I'll call the police!" Mother Gu panicked.

"Us, robbers? An old woman who's probably menopausal, we're way richer than you," Yu Ming barked back. "And don't even try using your connections. My father is a police general, what about your eldest brother, hmm?"

"How did you know—" Mother Gu turned to Shen Ru and pointed at him. "You must've used your second-generation connections!"

Shen Ru shrugged and lazily smiled. "You're using your connections too, so why can't I too? The double standards are really obvious, you know."

While the old couple was arguing with Yu Ming and her lackeys, Gu Haoyu asked Shen Ru in a low voice, "Is it me or she's Yu Ming, the school boss of Y University?"

Shen Ru chuckled. "It is indeed her. She's Jun xuezhang's cousin."

"…I can only imagine how they get along with each other."

"If she's Jun xuezhang's cousin, then do I have a chance with her?" Jia Hao wondered.

Gu Haoyu felt helpless. "I didn't think you were a masochist, Hao Hao."

After the police arrived, they were understandably confused by the addition of delinquents in rebel attire and a pink Lamborghini. "Um, what is happening here?" A bewildered police officer asked.

As the popular idiom said, strike while the iron is hot. Mother Gu spoke first before anyone else could, "My son, Gu Haoyu, stole my money and used it to buy this apartment! Isn't this just so disrespectful and unfilial?!"

Father Gu continued her words, "I'm his father and I'm a witness to this disrespect! Gu Haoyu invited his delinquent friends to come to beat us. It's a good thing that you police arrived quickly!"

Before the police can make assumptions, Shen Ru raised his hand with a polite smile "Hello, I'm the one who called the police, Gu Haoyu's friend." Then, he explained the situation to them.

The previously sympathetic eyes that they had on the Gu couple immediately turned into disgust. A police officer said, "If you're 100% sure that your son stole your money, then do you have evidence?"

Father Gu glared at him like he was the one in the wrong. "We don't need evidence. How would a 17-year-old child find money to rent an apartment and buy furniture? It's obvious that he stole from us!"

Gu Haoyu suddenly spoke up, "First of all, I borrowed money from my friends. Second, I've been working part-time. You just look down on me. You don't actually see me as your son but as an ingrate."

Mother Gu snorted with laughter. "Even though you have a second-generation friend, they wouldn't really care about you enough to give you a large amount of money. Your part-time jobs are just useless. Anyway, we don't need evidence." She turned to the police officer and shouted, "My brother is the chief police of A City. The police will believe my words over some brat who hasn't even graduated!"

The police officer was about to argue with her when he was interrupted by his colleague, "The chief just called. Bring Gu Haoyu and his friend to the police station."

Damnit, they weren't the only ones who did the texting trick.

"Isn't this—"

"We have no choice."

Mother Gu proudly smiled at them. "See? Gu Haoyu, you're just a good-for-nothing child that doesn't know how the world works. If you would've just listened to us and stayed obedient, you would still be living in a warm and comfortable house. See you in prison!"

Gu Haoyu's expression turned terrified but Shen Ru put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Yu Ming, I'll let you do the honors."

"Of course, sister-in-law!" Yu Ming chuckled. "Actually, my father is a police general. Isn't that a higher position than a lowly chief police officer?"

"Y-You're General Yu's daughter?" A police officer stuttered.

"The real deal! Let me just call my father quick…"

In no time, all were brought to the police station. When they arrived there, they were greeted by the angry voice of Yu Wen, Yu Ming's father, as he reprimanded Mother Gu's brother.

"You're a chief police officer, why would you do such a thing?!"

"As a police officer, you are supposed to serve and protect the public. Why don't I see you doing that?!"

"I can't believe you're a chief police officer. I'll be talking to your superiors."

Hearing their footsteps, Yu Wen's facial expression changed and he warmly greeted, "Yu Ming!"

Then, after exchanging pleasantries with Yu Ming, the frown appeared again. "So, you're the two parents that abandoned their son and even accused him of stealing! How dare you!" His loud voice had already attracted the attention of other police officers, so Mother and Father Gu were embarrassed that their actions were being exposed to many people.

While the police officers took turns scolding the old couple, Gu Haoyu told his friends, "Boss Shen, Hao Hao, I'm really grateful that you two came. I can't even think of what would've happened if I was alone!"

"It's no problem, Yu Yu. Aren't we friends? We're supposed to stick together!" Jia Hao comforted him.

"We didn't do much, anyway. Jun xuezhang and Yu Ming did the most," Shen Ru said.

"Come to think of it, how am I going to thank them after this? I'm a bit afraid of Yu Ming…"

"Just thank them personally, knowing that they helped someone is enough for them," Shen Ru replied.

After Father and Mother Gu were scolded, Shen Ru was about to go out together with his friends when Yu Wen stopped him. "Oi, you're the one that Xiao Ming calls 'sister-in-law', right?"

Jia Hao was confused. "Sister-in-law?"

Shen Ru sighed and told them, "Just leave, I'll come back in no time."

Although the two boys were curious, they understood the need for secrecy and left one after another.

"You're Xiao Zixin's boyfriend, right? I never thought that he would find someone so quickly considering his personality…"

Shen Ru nervously clenched his fist and replied, "Actually, we're not together yet. He's still courting me."

"Oh, he still hasn't caught you? I'm disappointed in him." Yu Wen chuckled. "If Xiao Zixin ever hurts or disrespects you though, don't hesitate to tell Yu Ming about it. His parents have been waiting for so long for the chance to scold him."

"I'm curious, uncle, you don't seem to be surprised that…you know?"

"On his 16th birthday, Xiao Zixin already confessed to us that he was gay. Because he was serious and responsible in his confession, his parents weren't even angry. He has been a good child since the start, had high grades, was charismatic, and had many friends. He was so perfect that he didn't seem human."

Yu Wen had a smile on his face. "Recently, he's been more cheerful. Sometimes we see him smiling to himself in front of a phone. I'm glad that you brought him out of his shell."

Shen Ru couldn't help but smile as well. "He's done the same to me."

"You seem like you've already fallen for him, why haven't you still accepted him?"

"I think I'm not ready yet for a relationship. However, I can promise you that I'm serious about him too. I won't do anything to hurt his feelings."

"Then, that's good. It's not good to get quickly into a relationship."

After Shen Ru and Yu Wen talked some more, Yu Wen finally excused himself as he was going to tackle the case about Father and Mother Gu. Because the old couple had attempted to forcibly take Gu Haoyu's furniture and falsely accuse Gu Haoyu, there was a chance that he could sue them.

Once Shen Ru was out of the police station, Gu Haoyu finally asked, "What did Uncle Yu mean about 'sister-in-law'?"

Shen Ru shrugged and answered, "Just a misunderstanding."

He stole a glance at his phone and stared at Jun Zixin's message.

Mafia Boss Jun: Happy cooperation :)

Shen Ru let out a laugh.