“Since you’re back in the country, come home. You’ve been gone for seven years, ignoring your family completely, what kind of behavior is that?”
Most of the people who had come to attend Shen Dai’s funeral had already left. Shen Xiaqing, expressionless, told Shen Qing to return to the Shen residence. At first, she thought there must be some important matter that couldn’t be discussed outside and required a private setting, so she followed them back, only to find that they simply wanted her to come home and live.
Seven years ago, they had discarded her abroad like trash, and now they were inviting her back. What were they playing at?
“Heh…”
Shen Qing glanced at Shen Xiaqing, neither angry nor bothered. With her hands in her pockets, she leaned against the sofa in a slouchy, careless manner. “Not coming back. My girlfriend’s abroad, I can’t.”
A loud crash suddenly rang out from behind. Both Shen Qing and Shen Xiaqing instinctively turned toward the sound. They both frowned, and just as Shen Xiaqing was about to open her mouth to scold, Shen Qing strode over with her long legs, heading straight toward the source without a second thought.
Upon arriving home earlier, Jiang Wangshu had gone to the kitchen as usual to fetch the traditional Chinese medicine that the housekeeper had brewed for Shen Xiaqing.
With Shen Dai’s sudden passing, even though Shen Xiaqing had maintained a composed demeanor while socializing with the guests, she could not hide her inner grief. Someone of her age, having gone through such an ordeal, immediately developed all sorts of ailments constant headaches and fevers and needed medicinal treatment these past days.
Jiang Wangshu, born into a family of doctors and a physician herself, was naturally tasked by Shen Xiaqing with attending to her medication. She had never made a mistake before, yet Shen Qing’s single remark had thrown her off balance, causing her to drop the medicine bowl in her hands.
As she crouched on the floor, frustrated, trying to clean up the mess, a pair of clean, slender hands appeared before her, swiftly picking up the glass shards. Jiang Wangshu reached out to help but was blocked by a hand, which then picked up the last shard and tossed it into the trash bin carried by the housekeeper behind them.
“Careful not to step on the glass.”
Shen Qing didn’t look at her, and it was unclear whether she was even speaking to her. To avoid awkwardness, Jiang Wangshu said nothing, simply following her around the puddle and sitting down in front of Madam Shen as she did.
Before her back even touched the sofa, she heard Shen Qing scoff in disbelief and mockery: “Is your company going bankrupt? You can’t even afford to hire a housekeeper to bring you your medicine, and you need her to serve it to you?”
“What nonsense are you spouting?” Shen Xiaqing nearly choked with anger looking at the daughter who had never been close to her since childhood. “Whether the company’s bankrupt or not, you’d know the moment you came back.”
Shen Qing ignored Shen Xiaqing and instead turned her gaze toward Jiang Wangshu. “I said I’m not coming back. I’m leaving tomorrow. I can’t leave my girlfriend alone in an empty bed.”
“You…”
Shen Xiaqing had never been able to do anything about this daughter. Now that she had made something of herself abroad, she was no longer the lamb that could be slaughtered at will. All the tactics once used to threaten her into submission were useless now, so this time, it had to be Shen Xiaqing who made the concession.
“You and your girlfriend both come back. I’ll hand over the family company to you, and I’ll fund the relocation of your company abroad. Name any other conditions you want.”
The terms Shen Xiaqing offered were truly tempting. Shen Qing genuinely wanted to know what this display of maternal devotion was for, and with the belief that turning down free money was for fools, she held out for less than a minute before agreeing without hesitation.