Shen Qing had intended to go back to her own room to change out of these clothes, but catching a glimpse of Jiang Wangshu following behind her out of the corner of her eye, she changed her mind and stepped into Jiang Wangshu’s room instead.
The truth was, Shen Qing did own suits. Not liking to wear them in the past didn’t mean she didn’t have them now. But since Jiang Wangshu had offered to let her pick one from her own wardrobe, Shen Qing certainly wasn’t going to admit she had her own.
Amid Jiang Wangshu’s soft gasp of surprise, Shen Qing leaned against the doorframe, and while she wasn’t paying attention, deliberately pulled her into the room.
“You scared me,” Jiang Wangshu scolded instinctively.
Then she suddenly realized her tone wasn’t quite appropriate, smoothed her expression as if nothing had happened, and calmly walked to the walk-in closet to pick out a suit for Shen Qing.
“Sister, you’re picking for me?”
“Sister, why do you have clothes in my size here?”
Shen Qing followed behind Jiang Wangshu, matching her step for step, chattering away nonstop. “You’re being a bit noisy.” Jiang Wangshu’s brow furrowed slightly, and she reached up to cover her mouth, only letting go once Shen Qing had quieted down, puffed up with indignation.
Jiang Wangshu took out a measuring kit from a nearby cabinet. Seeing this, Shen Qing curled her lips into a smile. “Sister, you’re going to take my measurements?”
Shen Qing’s eyebrows lifted. She stepped forward, deliberately pressing close to Jiang Wangshu, her voice low and lingering, like she was whispering sweet nothings. Wisps of warm breath burrowed into Jiang Wangshu, seeping into her blood, making her heart pound wildly.
She always did love teasing people.
Jiang Wangshu struggled to suppress the flutter in her heart and gave her a calm glance, her expression perfectly composed. “If you don’t want me to do it, you can do it yourself. But I’ve done it many times, I’m more practiced.”
“Many times?!” Shen Qing bristled like an angry cat. “Sister, how could you take measurements for someone else?”
“For your sister. Is that not allowed?”
At those words, Shen Qing deflated instantly.
The thought that Jiang Wangshu had once been Shen Dai’s beloved wife made an sourness rise uncontrollably in her chest.
But that still wasn’t okay…
“Arms up.”
Shen Qing complied obediently, raising and lowering her arms, positioning herself perfectly straight so Jiang Wangshu could measure her bust.
They stood extremely close, their breaths intertwining in the air. Shen Qing noticed that Jiang Wangshu had switched to a new perfume today something faintly rose-scented.
Shen Qing took a deep breath, her mood suddenly turning exceptionally pleasant. Staring at Jiang Wangshu’s earnest profile, she asked, “You do still care about me. You even went out of your way to cook noodles for me today.”
“The housekeeper cooked them.” Jiang Wangshu found the narrowest point of Shen Qing’s waist and wrapped the measuring tape horizontally around it.
“You’re lying to me. I can taste the difference.”
Jiang Wangshu patted her shoulder. “Relax.” Her fingertips brushed lightly across it as she measured.
Feeling a faint tickle, Shen Qing swallowed hard and held it in. “Compared to before, have any of my measurements changed?”
Jiang Wangshu didn’t answer the pointed question. “You could have Aunt Zhang cook for you again and see whether I lied or not.”
“Tch, but you reminded me in front of Shen Xiaqing earlier. Why aren’t you afraid of Shen Xiaqing finding out about our affair this time?”
Smack. Both of them froze in place, unnatural flushes creeping up their cheeks.
Shen Qing had spoken without a filter, and in her fluster, Jiang Wangshu had actually smacked her backside. It had been years since Shen Qing had last been hit.
Shen Qing coughed lightly twice to ease the awkwardness. “There should be some change. During those years abroad, I paid a lot of attention to fitness, especially arm strength. Carrying you with one hand would be no problem.”
“Shut up, don’t say such things!” Jiang Wangshu finally snapped.
“I’m not making it up.”
“How about you come to the gym with me, sis? That day when I pressed you against the door and did it, you couldn’t even resist.”
In an instant, Jiang Wangshu flung the suit jacket onto Shen Qing’s face with a soft sound, like a slap across her face. In that moment, she caught a delicate, elegant scent Jiang Wangshu’s usual body wash. Reluctantly, she took the jacket off her face and held it in her arms.
Seeing Jiang Wangshu about to storm out the door, Shen Qing grabbed her wrist tightly, hot skin colliding at that moment. “Don’t go. You haven’t answered me yet.”
“What do you want me to answer?” A trace of irritation crept into Jiang Wangshu’s brows as she turned back, trying to pry off Shen Qing’s fingers. “Are you that desperate to know whether I care about you?”
Her strength truly wasn’t a match for Shen Qing’s. Unable to break free, she gave up resisting.
“Fine, I’ll admit it. I do care.”
“A-Qing, you spent the first twenty years of your life living with me. Who I am, you know better than anyone. I’m your sister-in-law. Caring for you is only right. Before your sister passed away, she specifically told me to take good care of you when you came back…”
At this point, Jiang Wangshu stopped, because she suddenly caught a flicker of contempt in Shen Qing’s eyes. She knew her too well, they knew each other inside and out.
“You don’t believe me?”
Shen Qing sneered. “As if that’s possible.”
Jiang Wangshu said calmly, “Everyone in the Shen family knows, including your mother. A-Qing, your sister felt guilty toward you.”
The room fell into instant silence, Shen Qing’s eyes filled with shock.
After a long moment, cracks appeared in her expression again. Her eyes gradually reddened, and her voice began to tremble. “So what you mean is, you brought me back because of Shen Dai’s dying words? You want me to take over the Shen Corporation because of Shen Dai’s wishes?”
“You really loved her.”
“And I just picked up the things she handed out, secretly delighted over them. Watching me be so worthless, did you all find it hilarious?” By the end, she could barely make a sound. For the first time, she realized that a person’s understanding of the world could be shattered again and again.
Listening to Shen Qing belittle herself, Jiang Wangshu frowned, feeling she was reading far too much into it. “A-Qing, no one thinks of it as charity.”
“Isn’t it? If Shen Dai were still healthy, would any of this have come to me? All those years abroad, none of you asked after me, terrified I’d come back. But the moment Shen Dai said so, Shen Xiaqing kept me here. And I didn’t even know, I kept wondering what Shen Xiaqing’s ulterior motives might be. Turns out the reason was this simple.”
“You really were Shen Dai’s good wife. A good mother.”
Shen Qing’s heart went completely cold. She picked up Jiang Wangshu’s suit jacket and went into the bathroom to change.
Looking at her somewhat disheveled self in the mirror, Shen Qing bit her lower lip in resentment. It doesn’t matter. She’s dead now. All of this will be mine eventually everything, including you.
Coming out of the bathroom, Shen Qing found Jiang Wangshu still there. She paused for a moment, then asked with a natural expression: “When is the family banquet being held?”
“What?” Jiang Wangshu was stunned for a moment, not catching up.
“Aren’t we supposed to discuss my engagement to Xuan Zhi? Hasn’t the date of the family banquet been set yet?”
Jiang Wangshu suddenly understood. “I haven’t discussed it with Mom yet…”
“No need to discuss it. Let’s make it tomorrow. The sooner this is settled, the better Xuan Zhi and I can relax.” With that, Shen Qing left Jiang Wangshu’s room, never seeing the flicker of unease that crossed Jiang Wangshu’s face.
Walking out of the room and heading downstairs, Shen Qing wore a sour expression anyone with eyes could tell she was in a bad mood while Jiang Wangshu followed behind her, her expression unreadable.
Shen Xiaqing’s gaze swept between the two of them a couple of times before finally settling on Shen Qing.
She indeed had many grievances against this daughter. In her eyes, Shen Qing was completely unqualified as a member of the Shen family no manners, talking back to elders, far too opinionated. If it had been in the past, she would never have tolerated such an insolent person staying in the Shen household. But now, looking at that face so strikingly similar to Shen Dai’s, she couldn’t muster her anger, and let it go after a few words.
Shen Xiaqing instructed Jiang Wangshu: “Send her measurements to ALMUS. Have them make more suits as soon as possible, you know the requirements.”
Then she turned to her younger daughter, who was already standing beside her, and said: “Don’t let me see you wearing those outlandish clothes to the company again. So frivolous.”
“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll take care of it.” Jiang Wangshu agreed readily, as if she had grown accustomed to being ordered around by Shen Xiaqing.
Jiang Wangshu was like the head steward of the Shen family, she had to manage everything, busy herself with every matter. She fawned over Shen Xiaqing like this, and for reasons no one knew. The two of them didn’t seem like normal family members at all, but more like superior and subordinate. Shen Qing couldn’t figure it out at all.
The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became. Shen Qing said impatiently to Shen Xiaqing: “Tomorrow I’ll bring Xuan Zhi home. Just meet her and that’s it, don’t talk too much.”
To Shen Qing’s surprise, Shen Xiaqing nodded and agreed, she didn’t even call her rude, which was rare.
Shen Qing attributed it to Shen Xiaqing’s satisfaction with Xuan Zhi’s family background. It saved her the trouble of arguing, so she was more than happy.
Not wanting to ride in the same car as Shen Xiaqing, Shen Qing decided to drive herself.
While waiting at a red light, Shen Qing sent Xuan Zhi a message.
[Shen Qing: Forgot to tell you, come to my place tomorrow. Remember to put your acting skills to use. If you perform well, I’ll give you a script. Haven’t you always wanted to be a movie star?]
[Xuan Zhi: ?]
[Xuan Zhi: That’s so sudden.]
Xuan Zhi had long wanted to experience being a movie star, ideally in an all-female production crew, where she’d have a legitimate excuse to flirt with girls, instead of being strictly controlled by someone the moment she returned to the country, with all her passion having nowhere to go.
Quoting the message Shen Qing had just sent, Xuan Zhi fired off three more messages in a row.
[Xuan Zhi: Really? You have connections?]
[Xuan Zhi: Find me a wicked-woman role, the kind that shows off my beauty to the fullest, okay?]
[Xuan Zhi: It has to be an all-female crew. The sight of men makes me sick.]
[Shen Qing: A director from a production crew approached me recently. I can invest.]
[Shen Qing: Fine.]
Shen Qing agreed without hesitation. After all, nothing Xuan Zhi asked for was particularly difficult. As it happened, a film crew that was short on investors had recently approached her, and she was quite optimistic about it. Compared to Xuan Zhi, she had far more spare cash on hand, so she could afford to give investing a try.