Chapter 20: Are You My Anti-Fan?

When the medical team arrived, Shen Jin'an and Gu Li were sprawled on the living room sofa, munching on potato chips while watching SpongeBob SquarePants.

Gu Li, a young genius accustomed to watching financial news and legal programs, had initially disdained such childish, vacuous cartoons and was just about to head back to do his studies. The new tutor he had been assigned was excellent, teaching him a wealth of new knowledge, which had pushed Gu Li's enthusiasm for learning to new heights. However, before he could take more than a few steps, SpongeBob’s iconic laughter rang out from the television: "Hahaha, Patrick! Let's go jellyfish hunting together!"

Gu Li’s small ears gave an imperceptible twitch. Unable to suppress his curiosity, he kept looking back as he walked, until, somehow, he found himself standing right beside the sofa.

Shen Jin'an wore a faint smile; though her gaze remained on the screen, her peripheral vision precisely captured the little boy’s movements. She knew it—no child could ever escape the charm of SpongeBob. Seeing Gu Li sneak behind the sofa, his little head cautiously peeking out from behind the cushion, eyes fixed intently on the screen for a good ten seconds, Shen Jin'an decided the time was ripe. She turned her head and extended another invitation to the boy.

"Are you sure you don't want to watch SpongeBob with me? Look, this cartoon uses the original English audio with subtitles, which can help improve your English skills. Plus, it can teach you a thing or two about marine biology, and you get to eat snacks, too."

Shen Jin'an shook the bag of potato chips in her hand, bamboozling the little boy with a straight face and not a shred of guilt. After all, it was only natural for children to watch cartoons; what was there to feel guilty about?

Although Gu Li didn't understand what his stepmother meant by "original audio" or "subtitles," he did hear the mention of "improving English skills" and "learning about marine biology"—a field he had never explored before. The boy’s expression softened, though he still tried to maintain a shred of his usual reserve.

"Is it really helpful for learning English and marine biology?" Gu Li asked, feigning maturity, even as his eyes drifted uncontrollably toward the TV screen, where Patrick was currently struggling to pull his head out of the pineapple house.

"Of course!" Shen Jin'an promised with absolute certainty, patting the large empty space on the sofa beside her. "This is an exclusive study secret; you'll regret it for a lifetime if you miss it!"

In the end, she successfully captured a little TV-watching companion to share her potato chips with.

***

As they were getting into the show, Shen Jin'an suddenly heard the muffled sound of footsteps outside—quite a few of them. It seemed a large group had arrived. Mindful of her image, she quickly sat up straight, wiped the lingering potato chip crumbs from the corner of her mouth with a tissue, and didn't forget to shove the half-empty bag of chips into Gu Li’s arms.

With Shen Jin'an’s sudden movement, Gu Li, who had been leaning against her, lost his support and tumbled face-first into a pile of cushions, his little legs kicking in the air. For a moment, he looked remarkably like Patrick, who was still struggling on screen. Before he could react or pull himself out, a large bag of chips was thrust into his arms.

As Shen Jin'an rescued Gu Li from the cushions and smoothed down his unruly cowlick, the butler walked in, followed by about eight or nine people.

"Madam, Young Master, apologies for the intrusion. This is a team of top-tier domestic and international experts, here to oversee the master's follow-up rehabilitation."

Hearing this, Shen Jin'an gave a polite nod to the experts, her expression serious and composed, though her thoughts had already wandered elsewhere. These doctors were the best in their respective fields from across the globe, with several even being Nobel Prize nominees; their professional standing was not to be underestimated. Unfortunately, in the original plot, Gu Yichao never managed to get out of his wheelchair and walk again before he passed away.

For some reason, Shen Jin'an thought of a speech video she had accidentally stumbled upon recently, recorded before Gu Yichao's car accident. In it, the man was full of vitality, his handsome, dashing face and perfectly proportioned build exuding an imposing aura that easily commanded the entire room. She couldn't help but feel a sense of regret.

She hoped that in the original book, it was just a matter of timing. Without her interference, Gu Yichao should be able to live longer. At the very least, he was in good shape now—Li Li was still waiting for him to play soccer.

Since her marriage to Gu Yichao was merely a contract and she knew nothing about medicine, Shen Jin'an hadn't intended to say much, planning instead to return to the room with Gu Li to finish their cartoon. However, just as she was about to lead Gu Li away, one member of the medical team suddenly stepped forward.

The man was around thirty, with a rather delicate, feminine appearance. His long, narrow eyes narrowed slightly as he fixed his gaze on Shen Jin'an, which made her feel inexplicably uncomfortable. He curled his lips into a warm smile and extended his right hand toward her. "You must be Mrs. Gu. I've heard so much about you; it is truly a case of 'seeing is believing.'"

Butler Wang’s brow furrowed imperceptibly. Before Shen Jin'an could react, he stepped in front of her and pushed the man's hand aside.

"Isn't that a bit presumptuous, sir?"

Even though he didn't care much for Shen Jin'an, she was, after all, his master’s wife in name and the mistress of the Gu residence. To openly flirt with her in their own living room in front of so many people was simply going too far.

The man wasn't offended; he withdrew his hand with effortless composure. "Butler Wang, you've misunderstood. I have known Mrs. Gu for a long time, and I couldn't help but be a bit excited to see her again."

This remark successfully shifted everyone’s attention to Shen Jin'an. Butler Wang couldn't help but ask, "Madam, is this a friend of yours?"

However, Shen Jin'an was full of astonishment and confusion. What did he mean he had known her for a long time? She didn't know this person at all. Could he be an old acquaintance of the original owner? Surely not some romantic debt from the past!

She frantically called out to the System in her mind, "Slim Dog, Slim Dog, emergency! Quickly scan the original owner's memories and see if this person is in there!"

The System, having worked for thousands of years and being used as a facial recognition system for the first time, helplessly complied. A second later, it replied: [No, Host. This person has never appeared in the original owner's memories.]

"Are you sure you didn't accidentally miss something?"

[When I perform a task, there is never an omission. And I can guarantee that the original owner definitely does not know him.]

"That’s strange. He couldn't just be spouting nonsense, could he?"

Shen Jin'an was bewildered, Shen Jin'an fell into deep thought, and then, Shen Jin'an had a sudden epiphany.

"I know! In that case, you must be my anti-fan!"