Two twenty in the afternoon, Cloud City Airport.
A slender figure emerged from the VIP exit, pulling a suitcase behind her.
Her loose white shirt was tucked into a pair of wide-legged suit trousers, the sleeves casually rolled up. Her languid, carefree air drew plenty of eyes her way.
Su Yuqing arrived a good ten minutes later.
Inside the large Mercedes, Su Yuqing turned her head irritably. As Shen Yue approached, displeasure flickered in her eyes.
“So you do know how to come back. You had the nerve to run off, but couldn’t manage to survive on your own out there. All you ever do is bring shame on the family.”
Her tone was full of impatience. She showed none of the warmth a mother ought to feel when her daughter returned after being missing for two years.
Su Yuqing’s two daughters were fraternal twins, but they had been worlds apart in every way since childhood.
Her younger daughter was clever, talented, obedient, and filial. Who in Cloud City didn’t like her?
Then there was her elder daughter, who had worn a scowl since she was little, as if the whole world owed her something. Her grades were poor, and she skipped school to run off every few days. Who could possibly like her?
Two years ago, when she was in her first year of high school, she had inexplicably disappeared and been expelled from school, humiliating Su Yuqing completely.
Now Shen Yue had suddenly returned, but Su Yuqing felt not the slightest joy.
Shen Yue put her suitcase away and sat in the back seat, her slender, fair legs bent as she lowered her head to play on her phone.
She paid no attention to Su Yuqing’s scolding.
Seeing her like that only made Su Yuqing more irritated.
She couldn’t stand Shen Yue’s lazy, unambitious attitude, as though nothing in the world mattered to her.
Her second daughter was nothing like that: excellent and driven, someone who stood out wherever she went.
The two really couldn’t be compared. They were fraternal twins, true, but how could the gap between them be so enormous?
When Shen Yue said nothing, Su Yuqing’s brows drew sharply together. “You’ve been gone two years and turned mute? Have you forgotten how to speak?”
Shen Yue’s fingers stopped moving on her phone. She lifted her eyes slightly, her expression cool.
“It’s hot out, Madam Shen. You’re already in a temper, so I’ll keep quiet.”
Su Yuqing was briefly at a loss for words. She suddenly remembered how, before Shen Yue left, every conversation with the wretched girl had left her so furious it took ages to calm down.
Shen Yue was flawed in every way and showed her no respect at all. How could she possibly bring herself to like this daughter?
What Su Yuqing feared most about Shen Yue’s sudden return was that she would bring shame on her in the future.
Giving up on making Shen Yue talk, Su Yuqing still wasn’t about to let her off the hook. She made her demands as though they were only natural.
“If you’re coming back, then you’ll do as I say. Get rid of your bad habits. You have to go to school, and you should learn from your younger sister. Stop bringing shame on the Shen family.”
The thought of finding a school for Shen Yue gave Su Yuqing a headache.
With grades that put her at the bottom of the class and a habit of skipping school every few days, what school would still take her?
Shen Yue had cost her all the face she had to lose.
Forty-five minutes later, as they reached the entrance to the Shen family villa, the lilting notes of a violin drifted out from inside.
At last, a trace of satisfaction appeared on Su Yuqing’s face. She turned to Shen Yue, her gaze cold.
“Jiaojiao doesn’t just do well in school; she plays the violin beautifully, too. She even has a chance of joining the capital’s music association. That’s what a daughter of mine should be like.”
Listening to the violin, Shen Yue nodded in agreement. “That’s true.” She wasn’t worthy of being Su Yuqing’s daughter.
After all, even with her eyes closed, she couldn’t have played the violin at that level.
Before Su Yuqing could figure out what she meant, Shen Yue had already gone inside.
Inside the Shen family villa.
Old Master Shen didn’t usually stay in Cloud City, but he treated Shen Yue fairly well.
He was delighted to see her back and kept her by his side, talking with her endlessly.
Su Yuqing couldn’t stand it any longer. Her discordant voice cut into their conversation. “Can’t you see your father and your younger sister?”
Throughout her return, Shen Yue had spoken only to Old Master Shen. She hadn’t even looked at anyone else.
Su Yuqing had thought that after two years away, Shen Yue might have matured. But the moment she returned, she put on this act. Who did she think she was impressing?
Shen Qianshan, on the other hand, didn’t feel much of anything. He rarely involved himself in family matters and had no particular feelings for Shen Yue, either way.
He just thought it was too harsh to scold her when she’d only just come home.
He tugged at Su Yuqing’s sleeve. “It’s just a greeting. What’s the big deal?”
Beside them, Shen Jiao straightened her clothes and said with a gentle, magnanimous smile, “It’s all right, Mom. Maybe my sister still feels a little awkward after just getting back. Dad and I don’t mind.”
She said they didn’t mind, but really, she didn’t care. Shen Yue wasn’t worth her attention.
Su Yuqing’s expression darkened at that. She failed to notice Old Master Shen’s face turn grim and kept up her barrage of questions.
“You’ve been gone two years, and you’ve even forgotten the most basic manners?”
Shen Yue only lowered her head and chuckled twice. Shen Qianshan and Shen Jiao looked at her in confusion.
On the sofa, she leaned lazily back and tipped up her chin, her eyes narrowing slightly.
“Manners?” Her voice rose at the end, strangely stirring.
Then her tone abruptly changed, tinged with mockery. “When have I ever had any?”
She was rather principled about certain things. She had never cared to deal with people like the Shen family.
In their eyes, that meant she had no manners.
Hearing the meaning behind her words, Su Yuqing’s face stiffened, and her anger surged higher and higher.
She was about to spring to her feet when someone suddenly yanked her arm down. Su Yuqing stumbled, coming face-to-face with Old Master Shen’s dark expression.
Her anger caught in her throat. She didn’t dare say another word.
The entire living room fell silent. No one dared make a sound.