Chapter 199 Ego and Selfishness
Shen Dinghai looked at the backs of the people walking away with a lonely look in his eyes.
"Cousin, aren't you sad?"
"It's sad. I don't want Sister Wu to leave, but it has already happened and it can't be changed."
"Nephew, you should try to think about this from a positive perspective. At least Zhuzhu is back."
Ran Ran looked at him steadily and said, "You need to sort out your emotions and catch up with everyone."
"People's emotions are different. You feel wronged when others are happy while you are sad, but others will also feel that it is a pity that you can't smile when they are happy."
"No one would think that way." Shen Dinghai argued, "Besides, I am mourning the death of a person. What happy thing can't I give up for a life?"
Ran Ran spread his hands, "I didn't say that the example I gave was about you and everyone, nephew, don't be so quick to put it in your place."
"And your thinking is just judging others by your own standards."
"You think the death of a life is more important than the sky, but there are also people who think the death has nothing to do with them and is therefore insignificant."
"Anyway, the test has been set. It's up to you whether you can pass it or not."
After Ranran finished speaking, he walked towards the gate of the villa.
As if everyone was leaving, the lights were turned off and Shen Dinghai sat alone in the car, taking a deep breath.
After a while, he closed the car door as usual and followed Ranran.
When they reached the brightly lit villa, Ranran looked back at Shen Dinghai's face illuminated by the lights.
It was quite peaceful, without the joy of welcoming the sister, but at least there was no trace of the sadness of the memorial service.
Barely passed, Ranran concluded in his mind.
Shen Mingzhu woke up soon after being properly placed in bed, and everyone surrounded her with concern.
"Zhuzhu, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
"Are you hungry or thirsty? Daddy will get you something to eat."
Shen Dinghai and Ranran were standing at the outermost edge. He couldn't squeeze in, and he didn't want to squeeze in from the bottom of his heart.
With a dim look in his eyes, Ranran pulled the corner of his clothes.
"The test is not over yet. It will continue until you go to bed tonight."
Ran Ran lowered her voice and reminded him in his ear, and Shen Dinghai forced a smile again.
He thought he could just get away with it by giving it a perfunctory answer, but he didn't expect Shen Mingzhu on the bed to look straight at him.
"Second brother."
Everyone was stunned as they didn't expect Shen Mingzhu to call Shen Dinghai's name first.
"Mom and Dad, I'm fine, you..." Shen Mingzhu seemed a little uncomfortable with saying such words.
"Please take care of your second brother."
Mr. Shen was stunned. "Care about him? He is just standing here. What is there to care about?"
Shen Mingzhu frowned, "But I'm fine now, and you guys are just caring about me. Since you can care about me, why can't you care about my second brother?"
"Can your second brother be the same as you? He is just a skinny monkey!"
"You don't know..." Shen Mingzhu lowered her eyes, "She said a lot to me before she left."
"She?" Mr. Shen was stunned. "Which she?"
Madam Shen poked him with her elbow and said in a low voice: "Who else could it be? It must be the ghost in Zhuzhu's body!"
After hearing this, Mr. Shen frowned even deeper, "What did she say to you?"
Shen Mingzhu took a deep breath, "Please don't misunderstand me, she didn't say anything malicious to me, what she said..."
"It's all about the second brother."
Everyone was shocked, and Shen Dinghai also stayed where he was.
"What do you mean? Does that ghost like your second brother?!"
Shen Mingzhu frowned unhappily, "What are you thinking? Pan Nan just thinks that the second brother is her friend, and so does Ran Ran's cousin."
"She told me a lot about what happened between the three of you while I was asleep."
Shen Mingzhu smiled, "I think you are worthy of the word 'friend'."
Everyone was speechless for a moment. They didn't expect Wu Pannan to talk to Shen Mingzhu on purpose before disappearing, and they didn't expect her to say these.
Ran Ran lowered her eyes, as if thinking about something. Shen Dinghai stood there like a petrified statue.
He murmured in a low voice, "Why did she tell you this..."
Shen Mingzhu thought for a while after hearing this and said, "Maybe she is afraid that you will be sad for her, or maybe she misses her too much?"
"After all, memory is the final evidence of a person's survival. As long as she is still alive in our memory, she has not truly left."
Shen Dinghai's lips trembled, but he said nothing.
"She seemed to have told me something... I was too excited at the time because I saw a ghost, so I heard it but didn't listen carefully... Let me think..."
Shen Mingzhu was thinking hard, and suddenly her eyes lit up and she pointed at Shen Dinghai's pocket.
“It’s a cell phone!”
"She said if you really miss her, just check your phone!"
Shen Dinghai's memory seemed to be activated by these two words. He instantly remembered that when they were still in the woods, Wu Panan took pictures of them with his mobile phone.
He just felt embarrassed at the time.
Shen Dinghai was about to take his cell phone out of his pocket, but Ranran put his hand on it.
"Thank you, niece Zhuzhu, for reminding me. I'm sorry to have you worrying about these things when you just woke up."
Shen Mingzhu waved her hand indifferently.
Shen Dinghai looked at Ranran in confusion, but Ranran turned her head and smiled at Mr. Shen.
He followed Ranran's gaze and immediately saw the complaint on his father's face.
"Ran Ran is still sensible. Zhu Zhu has been in a coma for such a long time and has just woken up. It's not time to think too much."
Shen Dinghai was a little stunned. He didn't understand why just conveying Wu Pannan's words would be considered as a lot of trouble and overthinking.
Ranran sighed in her heart and patted Shen Dinghai's hand.
"In fact, my second nephew thought the same as I did. He has been worried about niece Zhuzhu's health and has been in low spirits until now."
Everyone's eyes moved to Shen Dinghai's face, and they saw that he looked dejected.
If I insist on saying that this expression is one of concern, it’s not unreasonable… but it always feels a bit forced…
Shen Dinghai immediately understood what Ranran meant. She hoped that no matter what emotions he had, he would not show them now.
Madam Shen nodded, "Ran Ran is right, Zhu Zhu needs rest the most now."
Ran Ran smiled, "That's exactly what I mean."
"Then let's all go our separate ways today, leaving Zhuzhu enough space, and come back tomorrow." Grandpa Shen made the decision in a voice as loud as a bell.
When Shen Dinghai dragged his tired body back to the room, Ranran knocked on the door gently.
"Cousin..." Shen Dinghai said like a student who had finally gotten his doubts solved, "I don't understand why you said that just now. Are you pretending to be respectable?"
Ran Ran nodded, "It's just respectable, but I'm not pretending."
"I was hoping you could express your concern for your niece Zhuzhu, but you said nothing."
Shen Dinghai was very puzzled, "She is fine at all."
Ranran looked at Shen Dinghai steadily.
"Nephew, you are too selfish."
Shen Dinghai opened his eyes wide, "Myself?!"
Ran Ran said calmly: "You are too immersed in your own emotions and have never thought about what the people around you think."
"You are sad about losing a friend, I understand, but people in the villa won't understand."
"In their eyes, Sister Wu was a bad person who took over Zhuzhu's niece's body. They were so happy that she disappeared, but you actually felt sad about the disappearance of such a being."
"I was even so sad that I didn't even show any expression to my sister who just woke up."
Shen Dinghai was a little mad, "Do I really have to pretend to be as respectable as you, my cousin?"
Ran Ran sighed, "I am not close to my niece Zhu Zhu, so I can say such distant words, but you are her biological brother."
"Of course you can't say the same thing as me."
"Nephew, please think about it carefully." Ran Ran said and left, leaving Shen Dinghai alone in the room, at a loss.
Is he really too self-centered… What my cousin said seems to make sense, he really sounds like a selfish bastard.
But why...
